I can't say I was completely captivated from the first word when reading this. I did try my very hardest to stay focused in the book, but I somehow always got distracted during the first few chapters. Everything just seemed all too familiar, it was like a collage, I could tell where there were threads from other books coming in. Not the most original plot. But I really liked the blurb (or the summary/synopsis ), just 15 words.
"An ancient book is lost. The Modern world could be ripped apart at the seams."
The "Dark Elders" in the book, sound a lot like the creatures from the book Raven's Gate by Anthony Horowitz. And things got quite confusing when Atlantis, were-beasts, the philosopher's stone, necromancy, and ancient gods got wound up in the story.
I was a bit disappointed that the author didn't set the beginning of the book in his native country: Ireland. But I swear I didn't know the author was Irish till I got to the inside flap of the book (it was covered in plastic when I bought it.) I didn't like the cover either, it looked a bit tacky, but it's not as bad as another book I have, which has plastic gems stuck into the cover.
My favourite character in the WHOLE ENTIRE book, is Scathach. The vampire-warrior-girl. (:
Now doesn't that sound interesting? Probably the most original character in the book. As soon as she entered the story, the pages started to fly by. Towards the end, I just suddenly realised, where's the rest? It stops so abruptly, and you feel you HAVE to get the 2nd book, because the story just isn't finished! But things get VERY complicated when you discover that Niccolo Machiavelli is immortal. *Suddenly all these historical figures turn out to be immortal.*
